drainage?

[caroline?]

hi! Im having trouble with drainage because the table my chameleons enclosures are on i cannot drill through for drainage, are their any other ways to add drainage? or should i switch to a table i can drill through

 

[CBee7726]

You could also get a drainage tray (like Dragon Strand) that the cage can sit in. You'd use a shop vac to empty the tray.

Otherwise, I think other people drill holes through the table, or use a wire rack/stand for the cage to sit on to allow drainage into a bucket.

 

[Shanar808]

I have my enclosure on a mini fridge so no drilling and living small in a small space gave me limited drainage options too. This is what I ended up getting and I love it, but I use it without the fake grass. I just empty the tray into the toilet every other day but you could get a shop vac to suck out the water tray or drill into the tray to rig to a bucket. Good luck with whatever you decide to use!

 

[caroline?]

I have my enclosure on a mini fridge so no drilling and living small in a small space gave me limited drainage options too. This is what I ended up getting and I love it, but I use it without the fake grass. I just empty the tray into the toilet every other day but you could get a shop vac to suck out the water tray or drill into the tray to rig to a bucket. Good luck with whatever you decide to use!

strange but very smart! i'll look into that!

 

[CBee7726]

I have my enclosure on a mini fridge so no drilling and living small in a small space gave me limited drainage options too. This is what I ended up getting and I love it, but I use it without the fake grass. I just empty the tray into the toilet every other day but you could get a shop vac to suck out the water tray or drill into the tray to rig to a bucket. Good luck with whatever you decide to use!

does all of the water drain into that pull out tray?

 

[Mendez]

I put my cage on a plastic washer machine drain pan that I got Lowes. I used shims to prop three of the four sides up so the water drains into one corner where I drilled holes into the pan and then taped a funnel that is then taped to a pipe that drains into a 3 gallon bucket that I end up dumping out every 4 or 5 days. The benefits of having a giant bucket to catch all the water is that you can do mists for a longer period without worrying about your reservoir overflowing.

I remember when I first got my cham. I used a sandwich-sized Tupperware container to catch the excess water. I would spray the cage, go to my college class, come back home, and find that the Tupperware overflowed. I guess a good rule of thumb (one that should be common sense) is that your reservoir should be larger than the spray bottle...

Here are a few pictures of my setup below.

I also put corrugated plastic on top of the reservoir to keep the water from evaporating which will cause higher humidity levels. During the summers, I constantly run a portable A/C, so the dry air would hit some of the remaining water sitting in the pan and cause evaporation. I used to struggle with too much humidity, which is probably the opposite of most people.

Anyways, that is how I solved the problem. There are definitely nicer looking ways to drain a cage.

 

[Mendez]

After posting those pics, I realized that I definitely need to vacuum my room

 

[Amberbluefrog]

I know dragon strand sells one, but for $20 and a lot of hot glue I made one using corrugated plastic. I put a drainage hole in mine and drilled into my table, but you could easily put a small tube in one of the corners and having the pipe snake out!

 

[Shanar808]

does all of the water drain into that pull out tray?

Yes it’s effective and it’s ready to go if you don’t have the time or tools for any DIY. Just don’t forget to check it every couple days or before you start your dripper. I did and there was some cleanup involved.

 

[Kamikaze Chameleon]

I know dragon strand sells one, but for $20 and a lot of hot glue I made one using corrugated plastic. I put a drainage hole in mine and drilled into my table, but you could easily put a small tube in one of the corners and having the pipe snake out!

Great job on this! Where did you get the plastic?

 

[Amberbluefrog]

Great job on this! Where did you get the plastic?

Home Depot and Lowe’s both had it. I found it by the acrylic sheet section, as a 36x76in sheet

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

hi! Im having trouble with drainage because the table my chameleons enclosures are on i cannot drill through for drainage, are their any other ways to add drainage? or should i switch to a table i can drill through

Not to worry, I have the same situation (can't drill through table). You can drain toward/out of one side or a corner; you just need to provide a little pitch (~⅛" per foot, or ¼" difference between highest & lowest points in a 24 x 24 x 48H enclosure.

Most after-market drain pans come with drainage fixtures for this purpose (Dragon Strand does not).
If elevating one side of the pan is impractical, you can elevate one or more of the table legs by putting small blocks under them.

 

[CBee7726]

Yes it’s effective and it’s ready to go if you don’t have the time or tools for any DIY. Just don’t forget to check it every couple days or before you start your dripper. I did and there was some cleanup involved.

I love it. Simple, straightforward, and effective lol

 

[Shanar808]

hi! Im having trouble with drainage because the table my chameleons enclosures are on i cannot drill through for drainage, are their any other ways to add drainage? or should i switch to a table i can drill through

Btw what size and how many enclosures are you working with? That might change what setup I would’ve used.

 

[caroline?]

Btw what size and how many enclosures are you working with? That might change what setup I would’ve used.

i have two enclosures ones a 2x2x4 screen cage and the other one im not sure about the measurements but it's a little smaller than the other one.

 

[Shanar808]

i have two enclosures ones a 2x2x4 screen cage and the other one im not sure about the measurements but it's a little smaller than the other one.

Ok, in that case I would probably opt for something like this: the risers under the cage and the pan under the risers. maybe a little cardboard under the back side of the pan to help tilt the water toward the drain?